It’s generally well-agreed upon that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is firmly in the top three at his position around the NFL.
Offseason rankings lists usually take this into account, which makes sense, considering how those in the NFL, as well as some of the best-ever retired names, tend to describe Burrow’s game.
Dan Orlovsky, it seems, is an outlier.
Penning his sometimes-controversial quarterback rankings list at ESPN, Orlovsky has Burrow in some weird spots.
Burrow, for example, ranks eighth in arm strength, which makes sense. But the list ranks Burrow fourth in ball placement. The reason given is… simply missed time due to injury.
“Burrow was the top-ranked QB in ball placement on each of the past two lists I've put together,” Orlovsky
wrote. “He's now No. 4. He's still extremely good in this area, able to pin the ball to his receivers. But injuries did cost him more than half of the 2025 season, and it opened the door for some others to move up the list a little bit.“
So, Burrow drops from a multi-year reign at the top there because of an injury. Even stranger is Burrow ranking eighth in the decision-making category, given his low turnover rates and ability to get through reads at a top level.
It’s just one list, of course, and Burrow gets high marks in things like mechanics and pocket presence. The entirety of Burrow’s game remains a top-three passer, regardless.
Even so, onlookers will surely use this as a bit of bulletin-board material next year if and when Burrow returns to form. And for the Bengals quarterback himself, 2026 is yet another chance to prove he’s all-around elite and capable of leading a team to contention.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals’ Joe Burrow catches shade from Dan Orlovsky
